Inspired by the traditional performance arts of Noh, Kabuki, and Ukiyoe woodblock prints, these ceramic dolls are bursting full of tradition and can make be a nice token to those who love the traditional arts.

Oyster landed in Hiroshima is very big and thick tasty, and Hiroshima is the number one of landing of oysters in Japan. There are some oyster shops that serve grilled oysters and vinegared fresh oysters to visitors in the Miyajima Island.

Soft and fluffy eel meat is steamed with rice, imparting a wonderful color and flavor to every grain. The rice is topped with another piece of anago roasted over charcoal for a smoky aroma, and the dish is flavored with just a bit of soy sauce.

NORI (seaweed) is a natural, organic food containing rich nourishment. Enjoy the crispy texture seasoned with oyster-soy-sauce produced from fresh oyster, a specialty of Hiroshima. Enjoy the wonderful taste of the Nori alone or with boiled rice.

The tips of the hand-made brushes are naturally uneven, which produces a nice and delicate contact with paper or one’s face, helping to create a superb finish. Therefore, Kumano brushes are very popular among many world-renowned make-up artists.

Nama yatsuhashi is one of the most popular souvenirs from Kyoto that a majority of tourists buy when they visit. It is a Japanese sweet, sweet bean paste sandwiched in soft dough into a triangular shape.

Yatsuhashi is a typical Kyoto souvenir made from rice flour, sugar and cinnamon. The rectangular shape is said to represent the koto (a traditional string instrument of Japan) or a bridge. It has a refined and elegant taste.

Kyoto's Uji area is known as an area where high quality teas like sencha, gyokuro, tencha, and matcha are produced. It's said that the modern ways of tea cultivation and production that have spread out to all parts of Japan were mostly developed in Uji.

It is impossible to separate Kyoto and matcha. One of the best parts of traveling to Kyoto has to be that you get to eat delicious matcha sweets. There are so many places in Kyoto offering great matcha sweets that it can sometimes be hard to decide where to go to.

As the national classification, Tsukemono is based on vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, seaweeds. Tukemono has two classifications which is one night or shorter term pickled or short to long term pickled.

There are many “local” limited goods only available in certain areas of Japan. In Kyoto, some Hello Kitties look like Maiko (an apprentice Geiko), some are dressed in kimono and others look like fox, which is known as protective god of Fushimi Inari Shrine. Or, some Kitties are wearing Yatsuhashi on her heads and some look like Kyoto Vegetables (Kyoto specialty).

Tenugui refers to thin cotton cloths, and they have been essential part of Japanese lifestyle for a long time. They are useful in varieties of ways including drying wet hands and bodies just like towels or handkerchiefs, decorating a room as an interior, and wrapping and carrying around gifts -without using a wrapping paper.

Abura Tori-gami (oil blotting paper) are thin papers that remove excessive oil from skin. It is one of essential items for many Japanese women to take care of their appearances. Since they can be used even with make-up on, they are really useful especially when fixing make-up. Among many, it is not too much to say that abura tori-gami by Yojiya is the most famous one in Japan.

Japanese knives are popular among foreign tourists thanks to their sharpness and their beauty. Japanese knives are made the same way as Japanese swords. It's said that ingredients that are cut with a well-sharpened Japanese knives have stiff angles and the cut ends are glazed.

There are a lot of handmade ceramics, fabric items and other souvenirs in Kyoto. At the Kyoto Handicraft Center, one will find superb traditional crafts, such as Kyoto Inlay goods, woodblock prints, and Japanese dolls made by local craftsmen.

Kyoto Ramen Koji is in effect a noodle “theme park”, where you can find eight shops selling eight different regional varieties of ramen, ranging from Hokkaido in the far north of Japan, to Kyushu in the south. On the 10th floor of the station Kyoto building/Open from 11:00am-10:00pmMore Details

The Japanese word ‘Edomae’ has several meanings. Literally it means ‘in front of (mae) Tokyo Bay’ (Edo is the old name of Tokyo). This bay is said to be teeming with fish and other sea life in the early days.

Monyayaki often called simply "monja" is a type of Japanese pan-fried batter, popular in the Kantō region, similar to okonomiyaki. However, additional dashi or water is added to the monjayaki batter mixture, making it runnier than okonomiyaki.

Kaminari-okoshi is a snack popular for its crispy texture. It was originally sold by street venders near the Kaminarimon gate in Asakusa sometime in the mid Edo period. Kaminari-okoshi is made by roasting steamed sweet rice to pop, mixing them with other ingredients such as peanuts, and forming them into a shape with sugar and mizuame <starch syrup>